Dead Men Tell No Tales
by morethanemployed
Summary: A year after the disastrous final battle with Hawkmoth, Marinette a NORMAL teenage girl is forced to confront her past. What happened to her partner? And who is this mysterious new villain running around? Meanwhile, Presley Carnovan journeys to Paris with the hopes of contacting the one person who holds the power of killing Scarab! Rated 'T' for sadness and violence. R&R please.
1. Chapter 1

Françoise Dupont High School was sadly silent. The students knew that a day of remembrance was necessary. Every person in the city had been affected at some point or another by the dastardly schemes of Hawkmoth. The only reason he had attacked Paris in the first place was to flush Cat Noir and his partner Ladybug out of hiding. Their final confrontation had been horrific. Mr Agreste's personal war came to a firey end with his death, as well as the death of everyone within a block's radius.

Marinette fiddled with her earring. It seemed like a lifetime ago when she had been a simple girl living her life- then one day MIRACULOUS she'd become a super hero. For an entire year she'd teamed up with the charming but annoying Chat Noir. They'd gone on adventure after adventure, fighting the villainous Hawkmoth all in an attempt to save the citizens of Paris from his corrupting super powers!

"Marinette! Don't slouch!"

She bolted upright. It wasn't proper for a young lady to slouch at a funeral. Every year, the citizens of Paris gathered to remember the life of Mr Agreste. Every citizen of the city was to take a minute of silence to remember all that they'd lost.

"Sorry Chloe," Marinette said, sighing as she leaned against her best friend, "Today is just... hard."

Chloe pursed her lips but just nodded. After the final battle with Hawkmoth, Marinette and Chloe had bonded over what they'd lost; their best friends. It was sad that it took the death of Alya for Marinette to appreciate Chloe's finer qualities, and even sadder that it took Sabrina's death for Chloe to realize how important friends are.

"Chloe, it's your dad!"

The former mayor of Paris stood on the platform to begin his speech. The school-day had been cancelled, seeing as it had been the place of the last disastrous battle between Ladybug and Hawkmoth.

"A year ago today," Began Mr. Bourgeois, "our great city- our great world, suffered a terrible loss. The weight of their death, like the great stones that make up this tremendous place, will forever weigh us down."

He paused, eyes searched the page. Marinette recognized that expression- the disbelief and hatred she felt when the whole world stopped making sense. The first time she'd felt it, Chat was-

"I don't know why this happened," The mayor muttered. He was going off-script, "I don't know what would drive Mr. Agreste to become a villain, or what has kept our Ladybug from returning."

Marinette shifted uncomfortably. After the last great disaster, she'd felt more comfortable as a simple teenaged girl- not a superhero. The whole world had wondered what had happened to her. She no longer even bothered to wear her miraculous, something Tikki found extremely upsetting.

"A morbid villain, and a miraculous hero met here for the last time. I cannot help but wonder if their battle is really over. Children, I don't mean to frighten you, but I don't know why these things happen: people are odd, sad creatures, and was spend a great deal of time hiding that fact from you children. I will do so no longer. The truth is, there's a reason that I stepped down as mayor!"

The entire class exchanged looks. Marinette stared at Chloe. Her best friend had never explained why her father had stepped down a month ago. He'd been very popular with the people. The blond had always cast it off as exhaustion, but Marinette had known better. Something was definitely off with their replacement mayor, who had an obsession with Egypt, a dark sense of humor, and almost no traceable history beyond the last six years.

The mayor never finished his sentence. His eyes grew wide as he looked past his audience to a lone silent character standing quietly at the back of the room.

"NO!"


	2. Chapter 2

Presley Carnovan slouched. It didn't matter. Nothing really mattered. A few years ago, he'd thought the world was upside down; living mummies, ancient evil sorcerer, Egyptian gods (yeah, their existence had given him an existential crisis) but overall, he found that everything he'd always wanted in life was simple. Simple, but impossible to achieve. Besides the constant nightmares from his past life (existential crisis number 2) of his death, Presley had learned that the overall truth of his life was simple; life was not fair.

Of course, it didn't help that his nemesis had, once more, found him and taken control of the whole city. Mr. "Kharab" (yes, the man needed serious help in the imagination department) had taken a shaken city and brought it together under his 'benevolent' rule. Mysteriously, there were occasional disappearances, all coupled with improbable mystical signs, but it all amounted to little more than smoke.

Currently, though, things weren't too bad. Presley was sitting behind Chloe Bourgeois, a really pretty girl who happened to be completely unapproachable. She and her best friend were sitting quietly, mourning their loss. It was a bad time to want to ask one of them out. The ceremony, overall, was quite pointless- people died. That was the natural order, and Presley knew that better than anyone.

"Mind if I sit here?"

Presley grudgingly allowed Nino to sit next to him. The kid was just saddened over the loss of his best friend.

"I wish he were here," Nino shook his head sadly.

"Why?" Presley asked, rolling his eyes, "This whole thing is a massive waste of my time!"

A couple of the students shot him dirty looks.  
"What?!" He hissed. _Parisians_. He thought divisively, were very whiny. Just as the old man giving the speech was beginning to get to the interesting part (the end) he stopped.

"Oh! Come on!" Presley hissed, before following the man's eyes. He stopped as he found a single individual sitting all alone on the upper level. He didn't move, or speak, but in his hand was a knife.

Presley smiled, "Finally! Now we're getting somewhere!"

The knife flew.


	3. Chapter 3

"Papa!" Screamed Chloe, "NO!"

Marinette felt a familiar sense of despair and powerlessness. The knife struck the ex-mayor's chest with a sickening thud. Her best friend was frozen in shock, just like the rest of the crowd. But Marinette, so used to intense situations, reacted for everyone else.

"RUN!"

The crowd made its way towards the exit screaming. Mentally, the ex-superhero counted each of her class. Rose, Kim... wait. Chloe. WHERE WAS CHLOE?!

A familiar scream ripped through the air as the blond backed away from the advancing figure. He wore a black velvet suit, and a mask to match.

No.

It couldn't be. The coloring was different, but that was definitely Hawkmoth's outfit.

"Stop!" Marinette yelled, "Get away from her!" Without her Kwami, she was powerless to stop the advancing figure. It was just then that another hero appeared.

"Let's kick some Tut!" He yelled, landing between the two.


	4. Chapter 4

Presley was already on the move when he saw the danger. Years of dodging various dangers had taught him the importance of getting the lead out. He bolted as quickly and as quietly as possible, dashing for the locker room.

Once inside, he pulled out his amalgam amulet. He felt a twinge of sadness over the loss of his friends, his protectors. He shook his head. There was no way to face this current danger if he was going to reminisce on the deaths of his ex-compatriots.

Casting aside his artificial limb, Presley cried out, "With the strength of the gods!" immediately, he was flooded with power. a chimera of forms encircled him; wings for flight, razor sharp cat claws, a scythe, and the strong right arm of the ox.

"RAH!"

It felt amazing to transform. Power flooded through the reincarnated pharaoh as he slowly stood. Looking out the window, he spotted the villain advancing on the Bourgeois. He needed the ex-mayor alive if he was going to confront Scarab.

Leaping through the window, Presley landed between the two.

"Let's kick some Tut!"

The villain was shocked- for about a second. Then they clashed. Presley pressed his advantage- the power of the ox, agility of the cat, flexibility of the snake, and the balance of an eagle made him almost unbeatable.

Almost.

His opponent took every hit and kept coming. A devastating blow to the stomach knocked the wind out of him, but not the fight.

"Come on!" Yelled the transformed boy. A smirk played across his opponent's face as he started to back away.

Chloe lay paralyzed as the two fought over her. Suddenly, a soft but firm grip wrapped around her arm. Looking up, she saw her best friend. Chloe held on for dear life as the fight drew to a close.

"Papa..."

Marinette felt a twinge of sympathy. She was so used to the feeling of loss that she no longer had to even think about it anymore. But seeing someone else go through it. The loss of Chat, Alya, even Mr. Agreste... so many people had left her. It was hard to think straight. But at least there was another hero in town that would fight the battles that Ladybug wouldn't.

"Let's get you outta here."


	5. Chapter 5

Presley lay in a sarcophagus alone. It was times like these that his powers were more of a curse than a gift. Unlike his reanimated protectors, using the amulet drained his life energy directly. They, being undead, simply had to recharge in their sarcophagus alone. He, being a living human, felt the exhaustion of channeling the power of the gods through his very being.

He'd fled to Paris hoping to get away from Scarab. This... 'Ladybug' had been a hero in ancient Egypt. She'd be able to help him stop Scarab. But she never showed up. A year ago, she'd had her last battle. Maybe she was dead?

"No. If she was in the afterlife, I could have sensed it. Maybe."

This whole exercise was feeling like a total waste. No matter what he did, Scarab would find him, kill him, and take his life-force for himself. Over and over and over...

"An eternity of death," Presley sighed, "At least I have television!"

The news, however, was pretty negative. Although no one would out and out say it, everyone believed that the evil Hawkmoth had reappeared. The words "Agreste" and "Return" were used a lot, but it was all hypothetical. As for the hero that showed up unannounced, well, he was unmentioned.

"Currently, the ex-mayor Mr. Bourgeois is in the critical ward at St. Peter's Hospital. At this time the police have no reason to suspect that this is the work of a supervillain."

Presley rolled his eyes. People were so stupid. They wanted to hide in their little holes and pretend that their world was still spinning safely in their control. A supervillain had appeared, and only Ladybug could stop him.

Presley considered the situation. Perhaps he was being too pessimistic- with a supervillain, Ladybug would _have_ to make her triumphant return. And if a new partner were to make himself available... perhaps things wouldn't be so bad.

He'd have to wait for her to show herself, but then- then he'd finally be part of a team again.


	6. Chapter 6

Presley Carnovan was no stranger to mystic battles. Ever since he was a child, he'd been in one fight after another- in constant danger of having his soul taken by an ancient evil. But nothing in his years on the run had prepared him for dealing with a teenaged girl.

Chloe Bourgeois was stunning- she had her mother's supermodel body; long and thin, if a bit mean-looking.

When Presley had first come to the school, he'd tried to mind his own business (which was difficult seeing that these French children were so welcoming) yet even he knew that Chloe was part of her own world that didn't have to associate with him or anyone. The only person who had managed to even get close was Marinette.

Ugh. What a loser.

If a rain cloud could sit in a desk, it would be her. She was always sighing, staring out the window, or leaning on Chloe out of sadness. Presley couldn't stand people like that; he'd lost more than anyone else had but he didn't spend all his time mourning their loss. He was too busy trying to find a way to destroy Scarab. But now, he would have to pretend to be sympathetic in order to get close to the mayor. Realistically, Mayor Bourgeois would make a powerful ally in defeating Scarab, and the only person who could get close to him, and the only person who could get close to her was Marinette.

And so he was determined to at least TRY.


	7. Chapter 7

Marinette sat alone outside the hospital. The fight, it made her feel so powerless. When she became Ladybug, she'd feared failure, and now, living in that failure, she could never take up the costume again.

During her final confrontation with Hawkmoth, she had only thought of finishing it, ending the war between the trio. Cat "Chat" Noir had chided her, telling her that, "What would we do when the fighting ends?"

He'd never had to worry about that, because Hawkmoth had created his worst akumatized monster yet.

Paralyzed, Marinette stared down the street. After Master Fu's death, she'd taken over as master of the kwami. The one conclusion she'd reached is that, only by locking them away could she keep the world truly safe. Now her resolve was being questioned- could she resist the temptation of the power her kwami could offer, even when her best friend was in danger?

Criminals had existed before she'd been Ladybug, they still existed now that she'd taken off her earrings. But if she went running for Tikki every time some thug-

Marinette shook her head. She couldn't do it, she couldn't go back to being a superhero. Simply being an ordinary girl WITHOUT a secret was enough. She needed to be a friend, not a superhero.

Shaking her head, Marinette tried to ignore the sinking feeling about that... THING that had appeared. After all, kwamis were the only supernatural threat, right?

Right?


	8. Chapter 8

A.N. I am more than aware that the pacing/writing on this has been... subpar. I apologize. I'm going to try harder to flesh out who these characters are now, and why they act the way that they do.

Mayor Baracs paced his office. Presley was here, in this city. It was funny, really, how far the French had come. Europe had been a backwoods, poverty-stricken continent filled with illiterate savages. But now, it was considered the fashion and social center of the world. The irony was killer.

"Master, what is your plan for capturing Presley?"

"Quiet, snake," Scarab snapped, "I'm plotting!"

It was true that things had taken a turn. The whole world had moved on, Egypt had not. No. Scarab had not. What was the point of eternal life if one could not enjoy it? And, with Presley out there, there was no way the evil wizard COULD enjoy his life. Their ancient battle had come to a head when the mummies were annihilated; they could not, as it turns out, protect Wesley forever. But he had adapted. The reincarnated pharaoh had barely lost his defenders for a few minutes before donning their armor and going into battle.

The world was filled with irony- in defeating Presley protectors, Scarab had made it more difficult than ever to actually destroy the boy.

He would burn Paris to the ground to end this endless loop of life; living as a dying monster was too terrible to describe in words. His flesh dripped from his bones, his blood coagulated and clung to his drooping tendons, and his skin, it stank of death.

If this was his eternity, death would be preferable. But since his immortality was linked to Presley's soul, the only way for him to lose it is if Presley's soul were to be forever banished from the mortal realm.

"What do we know about the attack yesterday?" Scarab hissed his annoyance to his mystic slaves.

One of his monsters, a large wolf, replied, "Presley was spotted at the school were the ex-mayor was giving his speech. Apparently there was an attack. Someone using a kwami was there!

Scarab stroked his chin. Kwami were a tricky bunch; you couldn't summon them the same way a god would be called. They were owned by a solitary master with a artifact controlling the mystic beasts. Presley may be fighting this newcomer, but Scarab had been burned in the past (literally) by third party entities.

"Destroy this... new threat. I've not the time or energy to deal with him. And that's my final word."

Whatever fallout came from fighting this new threat, Scarab could handle. He had only one goal in mind; to free himself of the eternal curse left to him by his own hubris. Everything he had done since destroying the mummy protectors: leaving America, traveling to France, seizing control of the government, all of it was to free himself of this horrifying existence. One more life wasn't anything to worry over.

"Oh, and let's eliminate the ex-mayor while we're at it- no reason to let him live if there's a chance of him trying to take the city back!"

Two. Two more lives then.


	9. Chapter 9

Marinette, keeper of the kwamis, walked confidently into the hospital. She wasn't going to let her depression and anxiety talk her out of helping Chloe. Whatever it was that had attacked the mayor wasn't going to frighten her away!

Marinette went inside, fearing the whole time that her friend was in danger.

"Oh, Tikki, I wish you were here!"

But Tikki wasn't there.

Again, Marinette had to steel herself against wishing herself a superhero again. Costumes, masks, and magic were kids' stuff- she was an adult now. All the fun in the world did NOTHING to change the amount of damage magic did. Her power to undo the damage to physical objects didn't affect the emotional damage inflicted on the citizens of Paris. The final battle with Hawkmoth had destroyed the entirety of Agreste manor, killing everyone inside.

"Magic destroys," Marinette chided herself. If it wasn't for those incredible simultaneous losses, Marinette would never have realized the horrors she had been a part of. Hawkmoth only attacked the city to get the Miraculous in the first place. Simply sealing them away would have to be enough to protect the world.

She walked up the steps, going through the list of people she'd failed; Chat, Mr. Agreste, Butler Jean, Alya, the entire staff at the house.

Adrian.

She had to stop walking. What was she doing? Her carelessness had killed a dozen people. She was a walking hazard always had been. A big, dumb, klutzy failure. Pathetic. Weak. Incompetent.

She didn't deserve to be Ladybug. She didn't deserve a friend.

Adrian had told her that Chloe had been his friend when he'd had nobody else. She'd written this off as stalking. Of course, Chloe wouldn't abandon her crush- who would? After her catastrophic failure, the blonde monster had taken the time to come up beside Marinette as both a comfort _and_ support. Marinette needed that stubbornness. That inherent _Chloeness_ that made her formal rival so difficult. Her drive and intensity had kept both of them optimistic. But now the world had gotten a little darker now that the Bourgeois family was in such terrible danger, the guilt of her failure weighed down the young Asian girl.

"MOVE!"

A young boy pushed past her.

"OW!"

Whomever he was, he was in a rush. And with a crash, suddenly so was Marinette.


	10. Chapter 10

(Please read and review. I need some encouragement for this story. I know it needs more action and drama. And that, at the moment, Presley is WAAAAAY too whiny, but I am trying. Bear in mind, he's lost all of his friends. I'll try to keep going, and make the chapters longer.)

Presley bolted up the stairs, "MOVE!" Some girl was in his way. After waiting for an action, any action at all from Scarab. Finally, Presley had seen clay lackeys entering the hospital waiting room.

"OW!"

"With the strength of Ra!" His transformation spurred him forward. He crashed through a wall, into the main hall.

"A monster!"

Presley shattered his opponents before entering the Bourgeois room. Whatever Scarab wanted, clearly the ex-mayor was a part of it.

"Get out of here!" Some wispy blond threw a punch at him.

Brave. Pointless but brave.

It bounced off his armor. Presley laughed. He had to sacrifice much to survive Scarab's constant attacks.

"Try again, little lamb, and I'll rend you limb from limb!"

Another girl latched onto his back.

"Chloe! I've got this! Run!"

Presley whirled around, trying to dislodge her. Chloe also leapt on, two ragdolls being spun about. They couldn't hurt him, but he didn't want to hurt them either. Finally, they fell off. Deposited into a corner of the room, both girls recoiled together in horror. Presley, recovering himself, looked around to orientate himself.

He had the steady beeping of a heart monitor. Then the beeping got faster and faster.

"That's not the monitor!" Marinette whispered. There, in the pile of rubble, was a small explosive device. It blasted, throwing Presley out of the hospital window, sending him careening down the side of the building until he crashed into an expensive car.

"...ow."

His life was filled with pain. And this pain would culminate when Scarab stole his very soul to feed his eternity. If only there was a way to destroy Scarab once and for all. Presley fell off the car, transforming back into his regular self. Two strong hands wrapped around him as the stranger in a leather coat picked him up and carried him to safety.

"Come on, we need to get you out of here."

In the hospital room, Chloe was wailing. Although the doctors would later state that her wounds were purely superficial, the near-death experience was enough to rattle her. Marinette, ever the experienced hero, quickly picked her friend up and moved her out of the room.

"Come on, I need to get you to a safe place."

She pulled her best friend down the steps. Elevators weren't safe in the event of a fire. Chloe's crying slowly turned into pathetic sobs. Marinette kept one arm around her shoulder. She tried to comfort and steady her friend to the best of her ability.

"Daddy!"

Times like these, Marinette felt terrible. Having Tikki with her may have saved Mr. Bourgeois. Then again, it was due to Tikki's existence that threats such as these came forward. If it wasn't for Ladybug, there wouldn't have been akumas running across Paris.

As they walked to Chloe's car, Marinette felt the burden of guilt flood her all over again. The destruction of Chloe's life felt like another moment of horror she was responsible for.

"Where are you?"

Marinette looked a her friend, bewilderment etched across her face.

Chloe said, "Where are you, Ladybug? We need you."

Marinette said nothing.


End file.
